New Delhi: “I plan to visit Spain next. It is highly recommended for its delicious food,” she says. This would be the sixtieth country Parvinder would visit. Parvinder Chawla is wheelchair-bound and travels solo. The wheels beneath her are not just a necessity but a sign of freedom. She played cricket and hockey as a kid. But things changed after she started experiencing pain in her jaw, knees and elbows. She was 15 years old. She says,

“One day, my mother, out of love, was feeding me food. She kept asking me to open my mouth wide enough to grab the bite, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t open my mouth wider. That’s when we realized something was seriously wrong. I was diagnosed with arthritis.”

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However, by the first year of her college, Parvinder had painful, inflamed knees and elbows. It became worse by the day. Despite this, she managed to finish college.

At 21, her condition had advanced to rheumatoid arthritis. She was bedridden. She shares,

“I tried everything possible, but my knees, elbows, and fingers were visibly deformed.”

But she would not let her condition confine her to her room. Parvinder began pushing herself to travel to nearby places within her city. She used a manual wheelchair back then.

Her first big travel moment happened when she visited Dubai with her cousin, Bhumika. Bhumika, known famously by her full name, Bhumika Chawla, is a Bollywood actress. She gifted Parvinder with an automated wheelchair.

Now Parvinder started accompanying her cousin on shoots and travels. This helped her realize that she could travel to other places all by herself.

She had a dream to see the world and she was making it come true! Thailand was her first trip.
Parvinder has been to 59 countries so far.

She was forced to take a break after a brain stroke last year. However, nothing is enough to stop her. She adds,

“There are about 216 countries in the world. I have covered only one-fourth. I wish to cover it all.”

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